motoring

[fondest]

I was involved in an car accident on thursday, as i was waiting in the que for the car wash at asda the que started to move a bit and my front passenger tyre slid on the ice ( the water from the car wash had over spilled onto the road and had frozen) and i went into the car in front of me, there is no damage at all to my car but the car in front had a slight mark on the back bumper, i told the man that i would pay for the damage and he was quite happy with that,but this man had then gone into the car in front of him and that was only a slight mark as the cars were more or less staionery. he is going through the insurance as he said straight away at the scene that he has got whiplash but as i said the cars were hardly moveing. will i be resposable for the two vehices,i have informed my insurance and for the moment they have logged it for information only as i told them i did not want to make a claim.i went to asda on friday and reported it to them they took my details but the car wash had been closed because of the ice, dont know what happens as i dont want to make a claim on my insurance,can someone give me advice thanks.

[TWR]

Sorry to say this but due to the weather conditions you should have anticipated that there COULD have been ice on the ground close to the car was, but on saying that the person in the 3rd car forward is taking the P get a written statement from the person in front of you to his description of the accident, any people who think they can get money for nothing will try it, & the Pratt's do succeed

[chas2008]

aparently the UK is the whiplash capital of (not miss whiplash) Europe ...Unfortunately theres loads of no win no fee companys out there looking for business... Thats one of the reason our premiums are high.
In theory if he claimed against you your ins, would fight it on the facts supplied which sound pretty dubious.

[fondest]

do you think it is worth me paying for the 2 vehicles as my excess is �250. and it will cost less than that to get the both cars repaired, and have a statement off the vehicle owner that i went into,if this man took me for whiplash, i am 43 years old but have only been driving for three years in july. thanks a lot for your advice.

[fondest]

sorry i also forgot to say that i think asda has got cctv so would that help me thanks

[TWR]

Hi Fondest, the car to your front seem to be a reasonable person, If you have his name the date this accident happened, I would go to the Manager of the store & state your case regards closing the car wash when that should have happened in the first instance, so too my way of thinking the car wash should not have been in opperation, your Insurance will obviously be willing to pay for the damage incured, but this may cause waves, how close were you to the 2nd car, & the 2nd car to the 3rd?

[TWR]

And no, do not pay anything as yet.

[fondest]

I was about 3 foot from the 2nd car and the second car was about a foot from the 3rd car the 3rd car was really tight against a green van in front of him but he did not hit that if i had tried to brake hard i think it would of been worse as the ice was compact, i have just looked at my car again to make sure there is no damage but i can see that there is a crack on the number plate where the screw goes in,i dont know if it was there before hte accident it is about 2 inches, so you can see this was not a big impact. thanks

[chas2008]

be wary of offering to pay until you see estimates, modern bumpers are designed to reform after impact often hiding any damage sustained behind them.

[TWR]

Hi Fondest, I would be inclined to consult Asda that this accident could have been avoided if the car wash had been closed due to the possibility of accident (In your case) happening, As said bumpers are made to take certain knocks, I cannot see that costing more than �50 if that, regards the "Arso" in the 3rd car (Excuse my expression as these Bds really get my back up) Again as said, if anyone has to get estimates let you or Mr Fondest get that done but do not take one estimate get 3.

[danchip]

you are responsible for the damage to th vehicle you hit but not responsible for the damage to the vehicle that was subsequently run into, the catr you hit is responsible for this as he was too close to the car in front

[fondest]

I have been in touch with the owner of the vehicle that i went into and they said they would have to go through their insurance as the vehicle that they went into their insurance company has been in touch with them,the man that i went into i dont think has any option although he doesnt want to do it this way as his excess is �300. and he also knows how minor the accident was i do feel sorry for this man as he was in the middle and can be punnished for not being his fault.I have sent a letter to asda today explaining to them what happened and just to fetch it to their attention about putting signs up saying "beware of slippery surface" in bad weather as they do in the store if anything is spilled.If i have a letter from this mans insurance company which by the look of it i will then can i still offer to pay for the damage which is minor myself without going through my insurance as my insurance has logged it as information only.I would also like to thank you all for your advice.

[TWR]

As you have said Fondest, ASDA put signs up for the Customers " Slippery Surface" what is the difference? I would Question this as I think ASDA is to blame for allowing the wash to be used knowing that there was Ice about, You can contact your Insurance & offer to make payment yourself & also state what has been advised, but as advised get quotes, Good Luck.

[fondest]

Thanks everyone for your advice especially twr will let you know what happens. your advice is really appreciated